Cardinal Billot trying to get Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange to lighten up. It didn't work...

Maritain speaking: << As the Pope had told me to do, I went, on the 4th of April, to the Collegio Pio Americano to see Cardinal Billot -- not without some apprehension, for I knew him to be little agreeable in general, and poorly disposed towards Mélanie in particular. A few days previously he had received Father Garrigou-Lagrange, and, discussing theology with him, had declared that Cajetan was "a bastard" and John of Saint Thomas a "double bastard." Upon which Father Garrigou, not being able to tolerate this offense to the great Commentators, had taken his hat -- and the door. >>

What's hilarious is how both Maritain and G-L both couldn't get their heads around the ultimate development of this saintly man's character: that in sum, he didn't have any human respect. He just didn't care what anybody thought of him, which is a sign of great humility, and with that humility came the wonderful liberty of making jokes without fear that they would be misunderstood, as this one obviously was, even when doubled up to make it (one would think) impossible to miss!

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